Got form? We Aussies? Naahhh…

Now that a dingo or dingoes’ guilt has finally been legally established in the Azaria Chamberlain case, it behooves me, (there’s that lovely word again – still reminds me of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, 1982, Dolly Parton and… Anyway, back to the matter at hand), it behooves me to consider if we Aussies have a bit of form in this area.

So, I compared this case with with how we’ve approached the issue of Anthropomorphic Global Warming; the idea that the world is getting too hot, too fast, and we humans are the cause.

Turns out, there are more similarities than one might think.

With Azaria, at the first inquest a dispassionate view of the science settled the matter; correctly as was later established.

Fast forward a few years, Howard planned an ETS, the science was established and AGW was a non issue. The matter was settled.

A few vested interests got a bit nervous about Azaria’s story. If the word got out that dingoes, desperate to sate themselves on human flesh – yeah, I know, it sounds a bit B Grade, but when you look back at it, this entire story seems absurd – anyway, if word got out, then it might affect this plan the NT government had to make the place a tourist destination. People might be too scared to come.

Did these clowns of the day never hear of lions and hippopotami and how well tourism was doing in Africa anyway? Evidently not.

So, Azaria’s demise became political, driven by business money.

Ditto with AGW. Think oil companies, yada yada.

Then the media did its usual group think. “Hmmm, a dingo did it. End of. Or, wife of preacher cuts baby’s throat in the family car. Now which way should we go. Oh, we don’t know…”

Similarly, “AGW’s real, gotta fix it. End of. Or, maybe it’s a conspiracy by a bunch of corrupt, greedy scientists out to increase their funding. Hey, it’s possible.”

As well, the media edited out bits that showed Lindy crying in case it looked like they were bullying her. So people thought she was too… unsad.

Today the media, still concerned about its image gives equal time to AGW denialists’  scientifically discredited nonsense, (think Ian Plimer), just so no one can say they’re biased.

Back then, NT politicians and bureaucrats collectively tipped a bucket on the science for various reasons, including a potential political leg up. They found a few crackpots to challenge well established science and were off to the races.

Hmmm, sound familiar? Tony Abbott, are you listening?

Around the country, people ignored the facts and opted for the more salacious of the available theories, of which there were about a quadrillion.

Ditto AGW.

Media covering the Chamberlain story looked around saw that they were on a winner, so facts be damned, anyone with a theory got a guernsey.

Then the politicians looked at what the media was printing and hey, turned out they were on a winner too, so facts, once again, be damned.

And so back then we entered an alternate reality; one where an innocent mother became a cold, cruel filicide.

Today we’ve entered yet another alternate reality; one where thousands of scientists in the world’s most prestigious institutions are either collectively incompetent or are engaged in the world’s biggest confidence trick.

But more than 60% of we canny Aussies, armed with our innate ability to ignore facts and see what’s really going on, have seen through their nefarious finagle.

Form? Aussies? Us? Naahh